"To be here today in a group of actors, directors and writers that I really admire and respect is a dream come true," Chastain, who is up for Best Actress for her role in Zero Dark Thirty, told PEOPLE.

"Doing the class photo was the highlight," Jackman, a nominee for Best Actor for his role in Les Misérables, said. "I was standing next to Jessica Chastain – it was all good. And by the way, I was also standing next to the Oscar statue. So, whatever you can imagine I would do to that statue for luck, I did it."

The 85th annual Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, Feb. 24, on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.